Squinty Love
by EmilyHarmony
Summary: The squints get a new grad student, who finds that love is in the purified, ionized, lab air when she meets the other grad student. T cause it's Bones.
1. New and Old Awkwardness

**AN** : This fic revolves around Hodgins's sister. Please leave kind or critical reviews. They inspire me. This is set near the beginning of season two.

Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine is what you don't recognize.

I wrung my hands together nervously, as I walked toward the entrance of the Jeffersonian. I'm supposed to find a Dr. Saroyan. Oh, how I hate big places. I never had a good sense of direction. Getting lost in my own house,being late to classes, I am definitely going to get lost here. I liked small, warm, and cozy buildings. This was a big, spacy, and drafty building. I sighed before entering the building. I didn't see Hodgins anywhere. I know he works here. I haven't seen him in almost three years. Great, I had to find him myself. We both knew how good I was at that.

Nonetheless, I walked away from the entrance in a attempt to find Dr. Saroyan and Hodgins while I was at it. I saw two people walking at a brisk pace toward where I suspected I was supposed to go. Maybe they knew Dr. Saroyan. Only one way to find out. Boy, they were walking fast. Stupid high heels. I practically had to run to catch up with them.

" Excuse me, excuse me!" The two people turned, assuming that I was talking to them. Smart.

"Can I help you?"

"We, Bones, can we help you." The man said.

" Booth, this the Jeffersonian, you do not know this building very well."

" Bones, I know-" "I need a Dr. Saroyan," I interrupted. " Booth opened his mouth the respond, the woman beat to it.

" Dr. Saroyan is just down there."

I'm pretty sure that the woman is Dr. Temperance Brennan.

"You can't miss it," Booth said.

"You'd be surprised." Booth, once again, opened his mouth to say something, but two more people walked in, both talking.

" Sweetie, I got that facial reconstruction you asked for."

Dr. Brennan, Dr. Saroyan would like to see you."

So that is Dr. Brennan. Good for me. Brennan didn't even open her mouth before the next person walked in.

" The maggots put the time of death around-."

"JACK!" I squealed, and launched myself at him. He caught me, his face etched with confusion.

"Do I know you?" He asked. I swear I could hear crickets chirping. Maybe they were in his hair. I pulled away from him with my arms crossed.

" Come on! It's only been two years." A look of recognition in his crossed his face.

"Ashley?!" He said incredulously.

" Took you long enough."

" In my defense, you cut your hair," Hodgins said sheepishly.

" You have a beard!" I fired back, trying not to smile, but failing.

" Uh, hello?" The other woman was twirling her hair with a expectant look on her face.

" Oh, sorry. Guys, this is my sister Ashley."

" Hi, Angela Montenegro," she said warmly, shaking my hand.

" Zack Addy," a guy with the most emotionless tone I've ever heard said.

" Temperance Brennan, though I'm sure you know who I am," she said.

" Special Agent Seeley Booth."

One more person walked in." People, we got a murder to solve, hop to it!"

" Actually, Camille, we don't," Booth said. " When you squints left, some dude came up and confessed to the murder. He knew the victim, TOD, COD, and everything else you could think of," he said. " Just get enough evidence that a jury wouldn believe." His phone rang.

"Booth. Yep, okay." He hung up

" We got another case?" Hodgins asked, sounding like an excited little boy. " Yeah, we do." Booth sounded annoyed.

Are you the new grad student?" Dr. Saroyan asked me.

" Wait a minute, back up, you never told me you were getting a new squint," Booth said, giving Cam the what's-the-deal face.

"She never told any of us," Brennan stated, staring at Cam.

" If you came when I summoned you, you would've heard," Cam responded, successfully not flinching despite the glares she was getting.

" Didn't you say we have a case?" Zack questioned timidly.

" He's right, let's go." Dr. Brennan and Zack rushed to get supplies.

" There any tissue?" Cam asked. Booth grimaced.

" Yeah, it's pretty meaty," he said.

Cam was leading me to where the supplies were, telling me that this opportunity was too good to miss and I would just end up observing. Goody.

Please let me know if you like it! Love, your favorite author.


	2. Learning the Lab Way

Author's Note: Hi again. Thank you for the review, tsubasaiscool. I really appreciate it. Without further ado, here's Chap 2 (Reviews are appreciated here!)

When we got the scene, Brennan and Zack were already there. The body was half buried in the ground, mostly skin where you could see.

But by looking at the skin, you could tell that there would be bone underneath the surface. I heard Brennan telling Booth that they needed to get the body and the soil around it to the Jeffersonian. Cam crouched next to the body, looking for a cause of death. Zack and I did the same.

Late 50s, early 60s, about 6"3 or 6"4. I looked over at Zack. His brow was furrowed, and he was muttering under his breath.

It was kind of cute. I had to stop myself from giggling. Wait a minute. I turned around again. There was blood a little behind Zack.

I stood up, earning the stares of about everyone, and walked over to the blood. It wasn't fresh.

"Dr. Saroyan, it looks like there's a stab wound here." I heard Zack say to Cam.

" Good work," she responded. There were more blood stains. They led to bushes. There was another body. Its skull was separated from the body. There was also an ax next to it.

" Dr. Saroyan, there's another body here." Dr. Brennan came first. Booth looked over, but immediately turned away when saw the skull, which was completely detached from the corpse. Dr. Brennan knelt next to the body, inspecting it.

" Female, late 40s, early 50s, pelvic bone indicates she's given birth, and cause of death was either decapitation, or the stab wound on her torso," she stated, she stood up and turned to Booth.

"Booth, send the body and the blood to the Jeffersonian." The victims and the evidence were packed up and sent to the Jeffersonian.

Dr. Saroyan and I were doing an autopsy on the second victim. She had more skin.

" Her organs were severely damaged. If she was still alive when she was beheaded, it have to be very soon after she was stabbed," Cam said, as she gave me organs to weigh.

When I was done with that, she was examining the head.

" Well, she was alive when she was beheaded, maybe the murderer didn't have enough time to wait for her to bleed out," Cam said.

" That's sickening." " I agree." Cam gave me the head.

" Have Zack show you how to clean the skull so Angela can do a facial reconstruction,then collect a blood and tissue sample from the first victim," she ordered.

I obeyed and left the autopsy lab. I walked carefully, not wanting to drop the head. I nearly bumped into Jack.

" Jack, be careful, I do not want to drop this," I said.

" Okay, whatever that i-, Whoa, is that a head?" He looking at it like it was a alien device.

" What's wrong with it? You see them everyday," I said, genuinely confused. " I don't normally see beheaded heads," he said, looking at disdainfully. I sighed and shook my head, and let myself in the lab with some difficulty. Zack and Dr. Brennan were examining the first body.

" Zack, Dr. Saroyan told me to ask you how to clean this," I said, holding out the head. Booth came in before Zack could respond.

" Hey, Bones, you ready to-," he stopped and stared at the head. I ignored him and turned back to Zack, who nodded and led me to what looked like a big boiler.

" It's quite simple,you the head place inside, and wait for the flesh to fall off," he said bluntly. I smiled weakly and did so.

" How long?" I asked, looking at my watch, only to see it wasn't there. Darn it, must have left at the crime scene. I'll get it later.

"Since it's only the skull, about the 3 minutes," he responded. I nodded. 3 minutes later, I thanked Zack, took the skull to Angela, and collected the blood and tissue sample. Angela came in the autopsy lab.

" The victims names are Raymond and Jeanie Parkerman," she confirmed.


	3. Needles, Cakes, and Warrants

Author's Note: Hello, I am going on vacation tomorrow and will be back on the 26th. I can't promise any chapters or that there will be Internet. Reviews are welcome. (Kind reviews or critical ones.) Please enjoy.

" Tox screen's done," Cam said,as she walked about the autopsy lab. I looked over her shoulder as she viewed the results. It was a sedative. Diazepam maybe? Cam looked at me expectantly. "Diazepam?" I guessed weakly. Cam nodded. Hodgins walked in. "The insect activity on both the victims puts time of death about two weeks ago around 10pm."

" I also got particulates from both of the victim's clothing, they both have what looks like cake on their fronts," he said.

" Can you tell what kind?" Cam asked. He shook his head. " I'd have to see see it."

" Any idea how it got there?" She asked, looking at the two of us.

"They could've been eating cake and they fell asleep," I suggested.

" That's plausible," Cam responded, a thoughtful look on her face.

" Any more ideas?" There wasn't a peep from me or Hodgins. " Okay then, Ashley's the winner."

I smiled. " You can give me my present after we solve the murder." Cam laughed. " Go ask Dr. Brennan if she found anything resembling needle marks," she ordered, still smiling.

I nodded and and walked away where Brennan and Zack were examining the bones.

" Dr. Saroyan would look to know if you found anything that resembles needle marks," I stated. Zack nodded. " I found a very small mark on the base of the neck that would be consistent with a needle mark."

He magnified the mark, which looked very much like needle mark. Cam, who had walked up on the platform,nodded and started to dial a number, which I guessing it's Booth's. Yes, unlike most of the people around here, I'm comfortable with guessing, at least silently. " Booth?" Good for me. I was right. " I need a warrant to search the Parkerman's house," Cam said. " You heard me. Make it happen, pull some strings, we need it." She hung up. " Ok people, let's pray for this warrant. We did, at least I did. Silently.

Was it easier to read? Let me know what you think. Love, your favorite author.


	4. Rain Down

**AN: **Greetings to**** **all people who** **have enough sense to read this story **. Please note that I'm writing this on the way home from vacation**** , **So mistakes might appear more frequently. Reviews are appreciated! Disclaimer: Bones is not in the possession of thee.**

I absentmindedly skimmed over the results of the autopsy. Raymond Parkerman, age 58, height 6"3, blah blah blah, ooh, here's the interesting part, cause of death, stab wound on the torso (in layman's terms), by an unknown object and unknown person. Jeanie Parkerman was stabbed and Cam suddenly came in.

"We got the warrant," she said and said a bunch of other stuff, but the first sentence was all I needed to hear. Most likely.

We arrived at the house. This is a very nice house. Nice neighborhood. Booth knocked on the door. A girl about 21 answered the door.

" Yes?" She said drowsily. She probably just woke up. She glared at Booth. " I already told you everything I know. So please just go away," she said grumpily.

" We got a warrant to search this house, so if you'll just let us in-."

She cut him off. "Fine."

She moodily opened the door. The FBI Forensic people went in first. We followed.

" What exactly are we looking for?" I asked.

" Anything relevant to the case," Cam answered

I nodded and went in search of Diazepam. It would probably be in the bathroom. Or a kitchen cabinet. I'll start with the bathroom. I found one, but it had nothing relevant. I checked upstairs. This one is nice. There was a empty birth control center container sitting on the counter. I picked it up to see who it was for. Marie Parkerman. That must have been that girl who answered the door. Looking at the date on the bottle, assuming that she had been taking it as prescribed, it's been empty for five months. If she has been active, there is good chance she might be pregnant. Maybe she could find a pregnancy test. Zack walked in.

" Is there any thing I can assist you with?" He asked.

" Yes, help me look through this garbage," I said, gesturing toward the trash can.

" Unless you have X-ray vision, that would be physically impossible," he stated, completely serious.

I stifled my laughter. He looked confused. Guess he's really literal.

" I meant sift through," I said.

" Oh, that makes more sense," he said. I dumped the contents of the garbage can. He went over to help me, but he stopped.

" How is this relevant to the case?" He asked, looking confused again. I picked up the birth control and pointed at it.

" This is Marie Parkerman's. It's empty. If this was taken when it was supposed be, it would have been empty five months ago, if she has sexual intercourse as much as the average person that age, she's most likely pregnant," I explained.

" That seems plausible," he agreed. He and I knelt on the floor and began to search for a pregnancy test.

" I found a Diazepam bottle, but it's empty," he handed it to me. Let's see, it's registered to Jeanie,the date for a refill was next month.

" There was plenty of this stuff to knock them out, but there should still be some here," I said, feeling a bit confused.

" Considering the most likely amount that would have been there, even split in two, the amount they would have consumed would be fatal," Zack stated.

" Then they didn't eat it all. Wonder where it is," I stated. After a few more minutes of looking through, excuse me, sifting through the trash, we found two pregnancy tests, both positive.

We bagged all the evidence and took it downstairs. Hodgins was bagging two plates of partially eaten, squashed strawberry cheesecake. I love cheesecake.

" Dr. Saroyan, this is what we found." I showed her the evidence. " Very good," she said, approval evident in her tone. I had to stop myself from beaming. I let myself smile a little before getting ready to head back to the lab. Then,everyone left.

It was a lot later than I expected when I drove home. I was almost there when I remembered I left my watch at the crime scene. I did a U-turn after making sure that there were no police officers around. I only got honked at once. When I got there, it was pouring. Great. I parked and then ran into the torrential downpour. I almost fell on my face, but regained my balance. I finally found my stupid watch. When I turned to walk back to my car, I stepped on something that was definitely not grass. I knelt down to see what it was. It was a knife. Dried blood was visible on the blade. I'm comfortable with saying that it is definitely the murder weapon. I pulled out a evidence bag I accidentally took and grabbed it. This was my lucky day.

 **Tell me if you like it! Love, your favorite author.**


	5. Officer Dorrystocker

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones.

Now that I have the murder weapon, I have to take it back to the lab. So much for my nice, hot bath. Sigh. Halfway to the lab, I heard police sirens. I pulled over and banged my forehead on the steering wheel. This is not my lucky day anymore.

"Ma'am, I got some complaints of a car with this license plate number making a U-turn at a intersection," she said. Ma'am? Really? I'm not that old. I gave her weak smile.

" Well, you see, I'm trying to solve a ongoing murder investigation," I tried to say. She smiled. I don't think she believes me.

" Yeah, I've heard that one before, I need to see your license and your ID please," she said. I sighed before digging in my purse for the requested items. She took forever to return them to me.

" Have you had anything to drink?" She asked, writing something on a stupid little notepad.

"Nothing with alcohol," I responded.

" Are you on any medications?" I sighed.

"Antidepressants," I muttered.

" What?" She said in a really annoying tone. I know she heard me. To humor her, I repeated my statement.

" Oh, that explains some things," she said, writing it down really slow and saying the syllables aloud. If this lady is trying to make me angry, she is succeeding.

"Listen, if you're done, I really need to get this back to the lab," I said, nodding to the knife in the back. Wait a minute, that was a big mistake.

"Oh, is that knife in the back? With dried blood on the blade?" She looked gleeful. "You got some explaining to do," she said. Oh my gosh. She thinks I'm some sort of psycho murderer that takes antidepressants. I could just cry.

"Can I please make phone call?" I asked, feeling like I totally lost that battle.

She thought for a moment. "Hmm, well, I suppose," she conceded. I immediately dialed Hodgins's number.

" Hodgins." He was eating something crunchy.

" You busy?" I asked,trying to keep desperation out of my tone.

" Just watching TV with Zack," he answered. " Something wrong?"

I looked over at the police lady, who tapped her watch. " You could say that," I said, trying not to grimace.

" You drunk?" He asked. He couldn't have picked a worse question to ask. The nosy lady snatched my cell right out of my hand.

" Give back my phone!" I demanded. But she ignored me. I slumped in my seat, really wanting to cry right now.  
" Does she have a history of being drunk?" She asked.

" Who is this?" Hodgins asked in confusion.

" Officer Dorrystocker. Please answer."

Dorrystocker? Really?

I let my anger get the best of me and snatched my phone right back. The look on her face was priceless.

" Jack, I forgot my watch at the crime scene, so I did a U-turn. When I got to the crime scene, it was raining. Then, I stepped on the murder weapon."

Before Officer "Dorkystocker" could say anything, a familiar car pulled up. Agent Booth stepped out. I could kiss him. I don't think he'd like that.

" FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, you have one my squints there, I need her for a ongoing murder investigation," he said smoothly. It took all my willpower not to stick my tongue out Dorkystocker.

" Very well," she said stiffly. She leaned in. " I'm watching you," she hissed, before stalking back to her car.

I beamed at Booth. " I could kiss you."

" Do us both a favor and don't," he said, taking a few steps back.

We parted ways and I finally got to the lab.

I swiped myself in and stepped in on the platform, where Cam and Brennan were.

" Murder weapon," I stated.

Both women looked surprised. " Really?" Cam asked.

"We'll have Hodgins examine it for particulates later," she said,looking at the clock, which read 12:17. Darn.

So much for getting any sleep.

Review, review, review! (Please) Love, your favorite author.


	6. Coffee, Coffee

AN: Hi, guys. Sorry for the delay. Here's chapter six.

Disclaimer: Anything that makes money is not mine.

I rubbed my eyes as I walked back in the lab. The knife has been confirmed as the murder weapon. I really need a coffee. Jack normally brings a extra cup. If he didn't, I'll murder him.

" Good morning," Hodgins said cheerfully. I glared at him. I find that I really want to wring his neck when I'm tired.

" Someone didn't get any sleep last night," he said.

He eyed me warily, knowing exactly how I am when sweet slumber eludes me.

" Just shut up and give me my coffee," I snapped.

He smiled at me before passing me a cup. I immediately took a sip. Oh my gosh, it's hot.

" You could've told me it was hot," I muttered, trying shake off the feeling that I'd just swallowed the sun.

" Sorry, I thought it would wake you up faster," he said, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

I glared at him. " Dr. Saroyan would like you to see if there are any particulates on the murder weapon."

He nodded and went to get the murder weapon. I sighed and went to see if there was anything I could do. Then, Booth came barreling in the the lab, nearly making me faceplant, but I spilled coffee all over my front.

" Oops, sorry," he said apologetically. I sighed.

" It's fine," I said with a strained smile. I slowly walked away from him before I lost my temper.

" Hey Bones, we got another suspect," he said.

" Really? Who?" Asked my nosy brother.

Booth rolled his eyes. " Some guy from the insurance company. Apparently, he went to high school with our victims. The neighbors said they had a heated argument the day before they died."

I muttered to myself as I entered the bathroom. I took off my shirt to examine the large stain. Well, I got another shirt to cook bacon in. Zack walked in. I let out a shriek and thanked the heavens I was wearing a tank top.

" What are you doing in here?" I said incredulously. He looked confused.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked.

" I'm in here because I spilled coffee on my shirt. So get out."

" But this is the men's bathroom," Zack said, looking even more confused. He and I both looked looked at the sign. It said women, but it had a male sign.

We both stared at each other. Awkward.

" Um, I going to go put my shirt back on," I stated. He nodded and left. As soon as I did so, Cam came over to me.

" Booth needs evidence to pin it on the insurance guy. You got anything?" She asked. I shook my head. Hodgins came over to us.

" I found wood dust on the murder weapon," he said. Cam raised her eyebrows.

" The traces were faint, due to the rain, but they're still there."

" I don't see a insurance guy doing anything with wood," I said.

" I think Booth got the wrong guy," Cam said, dialing his number.

I sighed. This is going to be long day.

Review please! Love, your favorite author.


	7. The Awkwardness Is Not So New

AN: Chapter seven. Enjoy. (Review!) Disclaimer: Anything that makes money is not mine.

I stared at the skeleton that was lying on the table. Zack was muttering equations under his breath as he examined the skeleton again. The skeletons gave me the creeps. They always look like that they are smiling. Creepy. Zack stepped away from the skeleton with a sigh.

" I have found nothing new," Zack said in his usual emotionless tone. I patted him on the shoulder.

" Don't worry about it. Something will turn up eventually," I assured him.

He nodded and turned back to his work. I walked out of the bone room and went into Jack's office. He was looking at the male victim's clothes again.

" Find anything?" I asked. He looked at me.

" What?" He nodded. " I found a tooth." I raised an eyebrow.

" Both of the victims have all their teeth."

He nodded again. "I know. But look at it." I did so.

"That's a baby tooth," I said.

He nodded. " It most likely belongs to our killer."

" Please don't tell me we're looking for a child killer," I said, in a exasperated tone.

" The owner of the tooth could be older than what you consider a child," he stated.

I hope so. " Can I have the tooth?" I asked.

" Sure." He handed it to me in of those little glass cases. I brought it to the autopsy lab. I doubt it still has DNA on it, but I'll check anyway.

I looked at it closer. It appears to have quite a bit a bacteria on it. Due to the wear on the tooth, considering that it's a baby tooth, I'd estimate between eighteen and twenty-one. I'm pretty sure that this tooth belong to a female. Females don't have as much saliva during puberty. It also appears that it was decaying. Probably from excessive vomiting. If I was a betting woman, I'd bet that the owner of this tooth was pregnant. Most likely older than eighteen. I went to find Dr. Saroyan. She was in the bone room with Zack, Dr. Brennan, and my brother.

" I noticed on the male victim's hand had bruising on the bone, consistent with a punch," Zack stated, still looking as emotionless as ever.

Hodgins spoke up. " And I also found a tissue on the male victim's clothes. I found blood and-" he paused looking at Dr. Saroyan. " Lip gloss," he finished. She nodded and looked at me.

" The tooth that Dr. Hodgins gave me had quite a bit of bacteria due to lack of saliva, and tooth decay. Females don't have as much saliva during puberty and the tooth decay is most likely caused by excessive vomiting during pregnancy. Since our victim lacked the skill of yanking teeth and because there are no roots, this tooth was knocked out by a punch," I said, feeling very wise.

" Very impressive," Cam said, nodding to all three of us. Dr. Brennan's phone rang.

" Brennan." She looked at us. " Booth said Caroline wants him to arrest someone," she said.

Jack whispered in my ear that Caroline Julian was a federal prosecutor.

"The victim's daughter should be questioned again," she said to Booth. Everyone else nodded.

" I concur," Zack said

" Me too," Jack agreed.

Dr. Saroyan and I nodded.

" Everyone else agrees." She hung up.

" I will need to take Booth the evidence," she said.

" Ashley, help Dr. Brennan," Cam told me. I nodded. We left the Jeffersonian.

Dr. Brennan and Booth were sitting across from Marie, the victim's daughter.

" I thought you told me you would leave me alone," she said coldly.

" Yes, but you also said that you would help in anyway you could," he stated smoothly, undeterred by her icy tone.

" Are you pregnant?" He asked. She sighed.

" Yes," she grumbled.

" Is this yours?" He placed the birth control bottle on the table.

" Yes," she said, a little clearer than the last time she spoke.

" Why didn't you have it refilled?" he asked.

" Because my mother wanted me to have a baby. She had mental health issues. She was on suicide watch. I thought a grandchild would cheer her up."

" Is this your tooth?" He asked, holding up the bag with the baby tooth.

" Yes, Dad tried to punch Brody when he heard that he knocked me up. I got in the way and he knocked my tooth out which also ruined my perfect lip gloss." She wrinkled her nose. Really? Your parents get murdered and you're complaining that your lip gloss got ruined.

"He threatened Brody and told me to get rid of my baby," she stated.

" Who's Brody?" He asked.

" My boyfriend," she answered.

I texted Dr. Brennan to ask if Brody did anything with wood.

" Did Brody have a job that involved wood?" She asked.

" He's a wood machinist," she responded.

" Let's go pick him up," he said. He and Brennan stood up.

" Where are you going?" She asked confused.

" To pick up your boyfriend," he said. A look of horror came upon her face.

" No! He had nothing do with this! He only did what I told him to do. He killed Mom because I couldn't do it! I could kill Dad easy. Mom would've been miserable without Dad!" She blurted out her entire confession. Wow.

Booth and Brennan looked at each other. " Marie Parkerman, you're under the arrest for the murder of Ray Parkerman. You have the right the remain silent..." I didn't listen to the rest of it. I called Jack and told him to spread the word. I probably shouldn't have done that. Whatever.

I finally arrived at my tiny apartment. I'm so tired. Everyone else went out for a drink. But I couldn't stomach the thought of alcohol. I slipped off my shoes and immediately climbed into bed. Sleep was all I wanted.

Review please! I've edited most of my chapters, so you might want to reread them. Love, your favorite author.


	8. Conversations and Messages

AN: Chapter eight. Reviews are appreciated! Enjoy. 

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones. 

Saturday mornings without work involves me meeting my friend Sarah for coffee. We've known each other since the first day of high school. She's a OB/GYN. Someone's water always breaks so we haven't seen each other in a while. We always go to this little diner walking distance from her work. When I got there, I saw her just coming out, looking bedraggled. I went to greet her. 

" Hey, long time no see, " she greeted, hugging me. 

" Whose baby did you deliver this time?" I questioned. Her face went blank. 

" Ummm, Mrs. Little's. Her baby was as small as a mouse," she said. 

" You're joking," I said, smiling. 

" Nothing runs past you, Ashley," she said as we entered the diner. 

" What will be ladies?" Asked a very handsome waiter. Sarah's eyes were bigger than dinner plates. 

" Hmm, I'll have one of you and she'll have one of your hot friends," Sarah said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. The waiter chuckled. 

" We'll take two coffees, both black," I ordered before Sarah could say another word. He nodded and went to put in the order. 

" You need a boyfriend," I said. She giggled. 

" So do you." 

" You need one more," I said. 

" So true, so true," she said. 

The waiter came over with our coffee. 

" Thanks," Sarah said. 

" Here's my phone number, if you're interested," the waiter in a flirtatious tone, handing Sarah a piece of paper. 

" You better believe I am, bucko," she said also flirtatiously. He winked at her and left. I rolled my eyes. 

" You're acting like we're back in highschool," I said. 

" I can't help that I'm young and beautiful," Sarah said, flashing me a perfect smile. 

" So how's your new job?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee. 

" It's very interesting." 

" Come on, get to the juicy stuff. There any guys there?" She asked. 

" Of course there are, besides Jack, there's Dr. Brennan's intern and there's Dr. Brennan's FBI partner." 

" Well?" She said expectantly. 

" What?" I asked. 

" Are they cute?" She asked impatiently. 

" I've got pictures, you can be the judge of that." I showed the pictures. 

Her eyes nearly bugged out when she saw Booth. 

" Oh. My. Gosh. He's so handsome. But did you have to take his picture right next to the dead body?" She asked, looking a little put out. 

" Sorry, but I don't usually don't ask strangers if I could take pictures of them for my friend squeal over them," I said sarcastically. 

" That makes one of us," she said, pulling out her phone and showing me a picture of a guy smiling happily. He's not bad. Except for a mother and baby in the background. 

" Please tell me that is another obstetrician," I said. She smiled. 

" That is the husband of one of my patients," she said. 

" Sarah! Really? You took a picture of someone's husband?" I said, appalled. 

She nodded and looked a little proud of herself. 

" You had to get his wife and kid in the background?" I asked. She nodded. 

" They didn't know I was taking the picture for that purpose," she said innocently. I shook my head. 

"You should be ashamed of yourself," I admonished. 

" A girl is allowed to look," she defended. 

" Besides, you did the same thing to Helen Chaplain's boyfriend in junior year," Sarah said. 

" We're talking about someone who didn't say their wedding vows," I said, crossing my arms. 

" Good point," she said, still not looking the least bit guilty. We both drank the last of our coffee. 

" You're paying, I forgot my purse," she said, getting up. I glared at her before grabbing my purse to leave the tip and pay the bill. We walked back to her work. 

" Ashley, you never said anything about Dr. Brennan's intern," she said. 

" He's sort of awkward. But he is kinda cute," I said, blushing just a bit. She noticed. 

" Kinda cute? The Ashley I know wouldn't blush unless she thought he was smokin' hot!" She teased. 

" I don't know him well enough to say hot," I protested. She just smiled. 

" I better get going, it was so great to see you." We hugged and she walked back in the building. 

The day passed by quickly after that. I got three messages from my ex-boyfriend, which I ignored. I dumped him when he beat up a poor old man for taking his parking space. He's a creep, but he won't stop calling me. He'll stop calling soon enough. 

Hope you liked it! Review my lovelies! Love, your favorite author. 


	9. Frozen Cockroaches

AN: Chapter nine. R&R and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Bones is not in my possession.

For some strange reason, I woke up before my alarm clock went off. I rolled on my other side to try to go back to sleep. I had just started to fall asleep when my cell phone rang. I answered it almost immediately.

"Hello?" I said sleepily, letting my legs hang of the bed for a minute before heading toward the kitchen to start some coffee.

" We got a case? Okay, what's the address? Alright, give me fifteen minutes."

I hung up and got dressed while trying to drink my coffee and get my keys at the same time. It didn't work so well. It ended up with me spilling my coffee on my shirt again. I don't have to worry about not finding a bad shirt to cook bacon in. I also put my pants on backwards, and dropped my car keys. Not a multitasker. After putting my pants on the right way, changing my shirt, and finding my car keys, which had fallen under the bed, I was ready to go.

The address that Dr. Saroyan gave me was a "Nelson's Frozen Food Company" warehouse. Yippee. It'll be cold. I don't like cold. I think it has something to do with getting trapped in a ice cream freezer when I was three. All I wanted was vanilla ice cream. Simple vanilla ice cream. But no, there had to be only one stupid carton in the whole freezer. On top all that gross pumpkin ice cream. I was not the brightest three-year-old. How was I supposed to know that the mountain of pumpkin ice cream couldn't hold my weight. I also forgot to keep the door open and to bring a spoon. Not well-planned at all. I was in there a while.

The warehouse came into view, plain as day, looking as drab as ever. I finally got to the crime scene. It was in the freezer. Why oh why can't the bodies I see look normal. Is that too much too ask? It appears that way. The upper portion of the body looked like a person, a woman to be exact, but the lower half was decomposing, but it looked a little odd for some reason. Not to mention that the the two portions were not attached like they should. This was one unlucky lady. Zack, Dr. Brennan and Dr. Saroyan were all kneeling beside the body. Booth was hovering nearby talking to Dr. Brennan. I joined them.

They all nodded their greeting, except Booth who just sort of grunted. I focused on the body, taking mental notes that I hope I would be able to remember later. Female, Caucasian, late thirties, early forties, cause of death appears to be asphyxiation, due to the bruising on the neck or the body being severed. Both are horrible ways to go. Nothing really to tell until we get back to the lab. Dr. Brennan ordered Booth to get the body and whatnot to the lab.

We had concluded that the upper part of the body had been preserved by the freezer, but for some reason the lower half didn't make it to the freezer. Dr. Saroyan and I were examining all the the organs and the stomach contents and had taken tissue and blood samples. I had the pleasure of sawing the victim's head open to extract the brain. It was actually quite enjoyable. The brain appeared to be undamaged, but it was evident that she died of asphyxiation. The lack of hemorrhaging when she was split in two confirmed that she was dead when that happened.

"Ashley, please take the stomach contents to Hodgins," Dr. Saroyan requested, handing them to me. I nodded and walked toward his office, where he was probably being all geeky over the insect activity on the lower half. When he saw me walk in, his eyes lit up. He's going to tell me some genius discovery that's going to make me feel like I was born yesterday.

"I made the most awesome discovery," he said excitedly. Something tells me I'm not about to start jumping with glee over his discovery.

"Jack, what you think is awesome, is going to send me to the restroom, gagging," I said.

"You're probably right, but the lower half had a quite a bit of evidence that cockroaches were around it. The lower half of the body was also baked in a oven."

"What?" I said weakly, starting to feel nauseous.

He smiled at me. " Assuming that our killer baked the body in their oven, the killer had a roach problem, the victim's face had been kicked by a shoe with a roach egg sac on the bottom of it , so our killer killed more than our victim."

"I'm feeling a little sick, so I'm going to give you the stomach contents and then I'm going to vomit up mine," I said, handing then to him, turning to leave.

"Wait, there's more." Angela came in.

" You done with that skull?" She asked. He shook his head.

" I found two types of cockroaches, one from the _Blattidae_ family, the American Cockroach, and one from _Blattelidae_ family, the German Cockroach," he said looking more excited than he had in the last case. Angela, however, looked ready to hurl.

" Cockroaches? I think I'm going to be sick," she said, looking more nauseous than me.

" Our victim was frozen and baked, cockroaches can survive both," Hodgins said.

"Please give me the skull," Angela said quietly, looking pale.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that time of death is three days," he said, smiling from ear to ear.

" Thanks Jack," I said, my stomach churning. I think some human organs will help settle it. I left before he could actually make me vomit. Angela came out of Jack's office, the skull in hand.

I walked to the autopsy lab, hoping that the sight of human organs would settle my stomach. Dr. Saroyan had just finished examine the organs.

" You and Zack need to remove the flesh and return to the crime scene," Dr. Saroyan said.

" For what purpose?" I asked.

" All her fingernails are missing," she said.

" Really? That's unusual."

" It looks they were scraped off with some kind of knife," she said.

" I hate this case," I muttered.

Tell what you think and thanks for reading! Love, your favorite author.


	10. Still Awkward

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.

I found Zack in the bone room, muttering under his breath.

"Dr. Saroyan wants us to revisit the crime scene," I said.

He looked up from the skeleton.

"We don't usually visit crime scenes when a case is in a premature state," he said in confusion. I smiled at him.

"Well, that's true, but usually the victim's fingernails aren't flayed off."

"Oh." That was all he said. He wordlessly followed me out of the bone room.

"Don't take too long," Dr. Saroyan said.

"Don't worry. We won't talk to strangers, we'll look both ways before crossing the street, and we'll find a police officer if we get lost," I assured with a smile on my face.

"That makes me feel better," she said, smiling. Hodgins ran up to us.

"Keep a eye out for cockroaches when you go to the crime scene, they falter in cold places," he said, giving me some jars.

"You expect me to capture those disgusting things?" I said, feeling ill already. He rolled his eyes.

"Zack's cool with them, you can make him do it," he said, looking amused.

"Come on Zack, we better leave before we have to capture a snake or something," I said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from Hodgins.

By the time we got to my car, I had let go of his wrist, much to my dismay. His skin was smooth and cool, a very comfortable combination in my opinion. My skin was smooth, but warm. Why am I thinking about this? It's sort of creepy. I wouldn't want someone to think about my skin. Of course, there are some exceptions.

"I believe you are driving in the wrong direction," Zack said, bringing my attention back to Earth. He's right. I was driving the opposite direction. Nice going, Ashley. Very nice. I turned around, a slight blush on my cheeks.

"Sorry, I was just a little out of it," I said apologetically. He looked confused.

"Out of what?" He asked. Sigh. Not a metaphor guy, is he?

"Just forget it," I said. He said nothing.

"Did you grow up around here?" I asked, trying to break the ice. He'd be all over me if I said that aloud.

"No, I did not," he said. I waited for him to say where he grew up, that's typically what normal people would do. News flash, Ashley, he's not normal.

"Where did you grow up?" I asked, trying not to smile.

"Michigan," he answered.

"Do you have any siblings?" I asked, turning the corner to the frozen food warehouse.

"Three brothers and four sisters," he replied, finally answering my question the way I wanted him answer.

"I'm the youngest," he said. Yes! Progress! He answered a unasked question.

I parked the car and the instant we got out, all the bonding I had attempted, was replaced by a professional air. We entered the warehouse, which was cold. I felt a bit unsettled, like someone was here. I ignored it.

"What are we looking for again?" I asked, feeling like I was abducted by aliens and my memory was wiped.

"Fingernails," he responded, shining that UV light thingy for blood. I nodded, scanning the place for bloody finger nails. They might be in the freezer. I don't want to go in there. Maybe I could use my undeniable charm to persuade Zack to go in. Whatever. I'll look everywhere but there.

"Find anything?" I asked, my voice a little higher than usual. Darn these nerves.

"No." He sounded nervous too. Wonder why. We looked everywhere but the freezer. Now, we were both standing at the entrance.

"You can go inside to check for evidence, and I'll wait out here." I looked at him, hoping I would be off the hook.

"I got locked in a meat locker when I was fourteen at summer camp," he stated. He was clearly trying to tell me he did not like freezers either.

"How about we both go in," I suggested. I grabbed one those door stopper thingies and wedged it under the door.

"That should hold," I said, stepping back, looking at it with satisfaction. He nodded and we both stepped in. He shined the light and there was quite a bit of blood.

"It looks like she was murdered here," I said quietly. He nodded. I walked report on the freezer. It's rather large. Biggest freezer I've ever seen. I saw a dead cockroach on the ground. Ew. Zack picked it up from the ground with some tweezers, placing it the jar. We both stared at it for a minute, when we heard the door click shut. We both looked each other in horror. I ran to the door, throwing my weight against it. (Which isn't alot, thank you very much) I just then realized I left my phone in my purse and I left my purse in my car. At least I had my car keys. Fat lot of good that will do me. I slumped against the door, suddenly feeling tired. I knew I should have drank all my coffee.

"You got a phone?" I asked hopefully. He nodded and quickly started texting someone.

"It will die in approximately-." His phone went black. "Now," he finished weakly.

"Did you send the text?" I asked, feeling a little put out.

"Maybe," he said, uncertainty in his tone. I sighed. Either way we'll be stuck. Yippee.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Review people! If you don't my muse might go AWOL. Maybe you could just pray for my muse. Pray or review. Take your pick. Love, your favorite author. ;-)


	11. It's Never Too Cold To Laugh

Sorry for the delay. School started and I had less time then I thought. Well, enjoy! (And review!) :-D

Zack and I had been in here for over an hour. It's freezing and there are cockroaches in here. Zack had captured quite a few , but there was enough to make me uncomfortable. It seems like the longer we were in here the colder it got. Not to mention I don't thrive in social situations, so we hadn't spoken a word to each other.

Now that I think about it , it was very stupid to go in together. We're supposed to be smart. So much for being a genius. Sarah would kill to be stuck in a freezer with a guy. If I last in here without talking to Zack, she will kill me for not taking advantage of the situation. At the moment, Sarah sounds terrifying. She'd make us cuddle or play Spin the Bottle with a cockroach jar. The way Zack's socials skills appear to me, I doubt he ever kissed anyone. Then again, he might have some genius idea how to kiss with success. Or he could have been more social as a teenager. Who knows? Maybe he'll teach it to me. Not that I need that with this face. Ugh. Now I'm starting to sound like Sarah. I hope it gets warmer in here or I'll freeze. We were both cold obviously. We're practically strangers to each other. It would even more awkward to cuddle together. I almost cringed at the thought. I don't see this freezer getting any warmer. According to a study, people who are alone and feel excluded feel colder. So if I freeze to death, it would be because I refused to cuddle and talk with someone I barely know. What would Sarah do? She probably would be making out with him by now. That doesn't work for me. Well, what have I got to lose?

"So, how are you?" I asked, praying this would work. He answered quickly, as if he had been waiting for me to say something.

"Fine, despite the cold. I strongly dislike cold weather," he said. He shifted a little bit.

"So, you're like a cockroach," I said brightly, giving him a cheerful smile. Wow, I can't believe I said that. He raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry, that came out wrong. You're nothing like those icky little monsters," I said, sheepishly. He gave me small smile.

"Disliking cold does meet the characteristics of a cockroach. I can see where you made the connection," he said. I almost laughed. I guess that was his way of accepting my apology. Cute. I glad I didn't laugh. It's too cold to laugh. I'm starting to go numb. I didn't even know is freezers got this cold. Okay, time to be awkward.

"We should probably generate body heat," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Are you suggesting we should cuddle?" He asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

I didn't answer right away. This the first time in forever that I said something bold. Go me!

"Think about it, you've got family back at home that would be extremely unhappy if you died because you didn't want to cuddle with someone," I said.

"When you word it like that, your suggestion sounds very wise," he decided.

"I thought so too," I said smiling, forgetting I had to cuddle with a stranger. Maybe acquaintance is a better word to use.

"How do you propose we cuddle?" He asked in the most serious tone he could muster. He appeared to have no difficulty saying it. This is one of those things where it sounds hilarious to say it a serious tone. I would have laughed until I cried. Gosh, this guy is hilarious.

"Um, I guess the easiest way would be for me to sit on your lap or something," I said, hoping he'd go with the something. I let out a nervous giggle as he sat there, deep in thought. The thought of sitting on a guy's lap made me nervous and being nervous made me a bit giddy.

"I suppose the former would be simpler," he said, looking at me expectantly. I felt my cheeks flush. I got up and walked over to him, hesitating a little bit before sitting on his lap. We wrapped our arms around each other awkwardly. This was actually quite comfortable. After while, we forgot about how weird this was. We are both freezing. I was actually getting used to sitting on his lap. I haven't done this in a while. He seems relaxed too.

"Have ever had a girl sit on your lap before?" I asked him.

He nodded, much to my surprise.

"She was my brother's girlfriend. Whenever she got mad at him, she would sit on my lap, attempting to engage in rather intimate actions," said Zack.

"They're married now, it is rather strange to see her at family gatherings."

I laughed. Guess it's not too cold to laugh.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! Thanks for reading! Review and I will love you forever! Love, your favorite author.


	12. Warmth and Exs

This took longer than I thought. My apologies. Enjoy!

After a while of sitting on Zack's lap, I was finally starting to warm up. I could tell he was too because he was finally relaxing. Or maybe he was just finally getting used to me being on his lap. I attempted to start conversation.

"Do you get along with your family?" I asked, shifting into a comfortable position.

"Somewhat. They don't approve of my career choices. They often call me to make sure I haven't contracted a terminal illness and haven't been in contact with explosive equipment."

"Aren't you often in contact with explosive stuff?" I inquired. I remembered Jack fondly reminiscing about a cannon in one of the many departments of the Jeffersonian.

"I find it wiser not to tell them that," he responded. I chuckled, recalling the time I told my parent I wasn't in contact with any insane people. I was dating one of my many ex-boyfriends. After we broke up, he was in a mental hospital. He still calls me to this very day. I think he's doing better though. He hasn't been in one for over a year which means he call me every three days. Yippee.

Zack and I looked up when we heard the door open. The thought of warmth not generated by a human body had me smiling broadly which quickly faded when I saw who opened the door. I could hardly believe my eyes.

"Eric!? You have a job?! I said incredulously, looking at my ex-boyfriend in disbelief. He looked just as surprised.

"What are you doing in here, Ashy?" He asked in shock. His eyes nearly bugged out when he saw Zack.

"You know, the janitor's closet is just down the hall if you needed to-" I cut him off.

"You got the completely wrong idea! We barely know each other and don't call me Ashy!" I said in frustration, my voice rising slightly. He looked at Zack in sympathy.

" If you think you've got it easy being with her, you're sorely mistaken. She doesn't understand anything," he stated, his eyes flashing in annoyance remembering our last date.

"Don't blame me for not understanding your need to strip in the restaurant, claiming we needed to get "comfortable" with each other." I grimaced, remembering it all too well.

"I told you it was time to get serious!" He shouted, clearly angry for my lack of understanding. It's hard to be understanding when your date's private parts aren't so private.

"We hadn't even starting holding hands! Besides, I told you it's hard to be understanding when you're strutting around a restaurant like you own it, flashing your goods!" I shouted back bluntly. Zack winced at my choice of words. I folded my arms and glared at him. He mimicked me. We would have been there all day if it wasn't for Zack.

"We should get going," he said, clearly uncomfortable with what was happening. I turned a full one hundred and eighty degrees. I needed a break from seeing his ugly face. Going out with him was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made.

"Why were you even in that freezer anyway?" He asked. Knowing he'd call me non-stop if I didn't answer, I turned around again.

"We were looking for evidence to capture a murderer," I snapped.

"You went in together? You should've have split up and searched for clues, just like the Scooby gang," he said.

Zack and I grabbed the evidence, and left without saying goodbye, not that I care. We drove off, enjoying the luxury of the car heater.

"Estimating the weight of the door and the door stopper, and the angle you placed the door stopper, it should've held the door in place for a reasonable amount of time," he said.

"So, someone had to remove the door stopper," I concluded. He nodded. Yay.

We drove the rest of the way in silence. I parked in the garage and we both ran with the evidence to the lab. We were supposed to back at the lab three hours ago. Dr. Saroyan will not be happy. Double yay. She was talking to Dr. Brennan, Angela, and Jack.

"Booth said the victim's boyfriend's name is Eric Ottermore," Dr. Brennan said to Dr. Saroyan. Oh, no. I just got rid of him. Sarah going to get an earful later.

"Hey, look who's back," Jack said, giving me a sympathetic smile. Oh dear.

"I hope you have a good excuse," Dr. Saroyan said sternly, putting her hands on her hips.

"We got locked in the freezer," Zack said, uncertainty evident in his tone. I nodded vigorously. Getting trapped had to count for something.

"How did that happen?" She said, her tone changing.

"Well, we propped the door open and we got stuck for like ninety minutes," I said.

" Then, a very kind-" I interrupted Zack.

"Zack, if there is one good thing that narcissistic, arrogant, idiotic, man is that he knows when to get out my face," I said, my voice full of spite. Dr. Saroyan raised her eyebrows.

"Wait a minute, is the victim's boyfriend the same guy who calls you every three days?" Jack asked, an amused smile appearing on his face.

"It appears to me that he was arrested for indecent exposure during one of their dates," Zack stated. Angela's eyes widened in interest.

"Indecent exposure?" Jack said, sounding like the overprotective older brother he is. Most of the time.

"He thought we needed to get more comfortable with each other. So, he started stripping. It was so embarrassing," I said, shuddering at the memory.

"That's very..." Dr. Saroyan trailed off. I changed the subject.

"Zack and I found all ten fingernails and snagged a few cockroaches for Jack," I said and the next thing I knew, I was looking under a microscope searching for epithelial cells. My favorite. After a ton of other fun things like that, I finally got to go home. After taking a shower, ranting to Sarah about Eric, and drinking a half a glass of wine, I went to bed.

Only then, I realized I forgot to correct Eric when he told Zack it wasn't easy to be with me.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated. Alot. Just let you know. Have a nice day! Love, EmilyHarmony.


	13. Baby Pictures and Mascara

Hi. Sorry for not updating for so long. This chapter was in progress, by due to an unexpected error, it got deleted. Well, enjoy!

The morning was pretty much to the same as yesterday except I didn't get a phone call telling me to go to a crime scene. Instead, I got a text telling me that the victim's name was April Crosshour. Hmm, I think she dated Eric briefly. He mentioned her once.

Some days, I wonder how I did it. The remains sometimes look so gross. It usually doesn't bother me but I remember a time about two years ago, when alot stuff like that made me vomit . Although I discovered it was for different reasons, I no longer have a stomach of steel.

I walked in the lab, feeling a little down. Thinking about my life two years ago didn't really brighten my mood. It wasn't the happiest of times. I walked into Jack's lab, hoping he'd cheer me without asking me about it. I heard him whistling as I entered his domain, which quite honestly was a bit unsettling. He was cheerful. That was almost never good news.

"I don't have coffee if that's what you're there for," he said to me, not looking up when I entered. He was watching his stupid cockroaches. It looked like he made a little playpen for them or something.

"What are you doing?" I asked, brow furrowing as he grinned from to ear to ear. He looked at me.

"I'm watching them crawl in the new habitat I built them," he responded, looking almost too excited.

"You made them a playpen?" I rolled my eyes.

"Habitat," he corrected, my annoyance not effecting him in the least.

"Are they crawling on a photograph?" I asked, squinting as I tried to see past their gross, little legs. He looked a little guilty.

"The photograph is their object of interest. It's vital in a pl- habitat," he explained, the tips of his of ears turning red. The cockroaches moved away giving me a clear view of the picture. My eyes widened.

"You put one of my baby pictures in the habitat!?" He chuckled nervously.

"It was the only one in my wallet," he protested, putting his hands up in surrender to my escalating temper.

"You keep that in your wallet? Why do you keep it in there? To scare of boyfriends?" I huffed, crossing my arms.

"Sorry, sorry I'll take it out," he decided.

"There's no point now! They've already their gross little feet all over me!" I said, uncrossing my arms.

"Sorry, they just needed something beautiful to crawl on." He tried to placate me.

"Don't even try. Besides, I wasn't beautiful yet. I was cute," I said grumpily. He took it the picture out of the stupid playpen and put it back in his wallet. He gave me an apologetic look. How could he even put it back in there with cockroach germs all over it? This is the same guy did a presentation about slug sex and brought a visual example. I'm surprised he passed that assignment. Sometimes, I can't believe he's related to me.

"Don't feel too bad. I'm just grumpy," I said, now feeling tired.

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows and turned in my direction, giving me his full attention.

"Just thinking some events that happened two years that depress me," I muttered, loud enough for him to hear. He looked at me with sympathy.

"Try to hang out with Dr. B. She'll fill your head up with so much knowledge about tribes, you'll suffer amnesia," he advised me. I smiled.

"It's always refreshing to hang around Zack too. As long as you don't say a metaphor." I laughed and stood up to hug him.

"Thank you," I said. Before he could say anything, we both heard the clicking of heels.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" Asked Dr. Saroyan. We both paused before answering.

"Oh, no." We both said simultaneously, pulling away.

"Did you identify the particulate I gave you?" She asked Jack.

"Yes I did. Iron oxides, carbon black, beeswax, ceresin, gum tragacanth, and methyl cellulose," Jack stated.

"Those are the main chemicals. Anyway it's-" Dr. Saroyan cut him off.

"Mascara." Jack and I both raised are eyebrows in surprise.

"Wow, kinda stole my thunder there, Cam," he said, chuckling.

"Sorry," she said, smiling.

"Was the victim wearing mascara?" Jack asked.

"She doesn't wear mascara," I said. They both looked at me.

"What? Eric mentioned her once. She was one of those "makeup hides beauty" people," I explained.

"Okay, so it's safe to say that it's the killer's mascara?" Jack asked.

"Yes and the killer was woman since the DNA in the epithelial cells was female," Dr. Saroyan said. Angela came in.

"Brennan just went with Booth to visit the victim's house," she told Cam.

"Okay, I'll be in the bone room if anyone needs me." Cam left. I went back to the merry autopsy lab. I had alot of blood to compare to the victim's DNA. Well, with my brilliant deduction skills, I could determine that she bled out. Go me.

I hope you enjoyed it! This little box got depressed when he heard he could be clicked more often. Go click him! I promise you won't die! The worst thing you'll lose is thirty seconds of time. Love, EmilyHarmony


	14. The Dater's Deal

Hi! Apologies for not updating as quick as I would have liked. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thank goodness for lunch breaks. After comparing the blood to the victim's blood, which was the same, I was starving. I probably should have gone to a place I knew, but this place is closer and new. It was tiny and quaint with dark wooden floors and ferns in the corners. The place was clean and had no alcoholic beverages and had love songs constantly playing. It was nicer then the diner I usually went to. Sarah was supposed to meet me here but one of her patient's water broke. Too bad. Dining alone is something that I have gotten used to. The first year of med school, I couldn't recall a time I had eaten alone. I was constantly eating with guys, Sarah, or a girl studying to be psychiatrist named Trisha Sordiply. I haven't seen her in two years when she got married. The waitress had just brought me a glass of water when I saw Zack enter through the door. He spotted me almost immediately and came over to greet me.

"Hello." I could tell he was feeling a bit awkward. Can't say I wasn't feeling awkward.

"Hi," I answered, smiling. He smiled back.

"Want to sit with me?" I offered, gesturing toward the chair across from me. He hesitated.

"Um, yes," he agreed and I continued to smile as he sat down. The waitress came back and smiled when she noticed Zack. Oh, great. We look like a couple. I guess that wasn't so bad. At least Zack was cute. I sighed internally as I looked at the menu. I really wasn't supposed to think he's cute. Says who? I don't know if there's a rule against fraternization among employees. I could ask. Just because I think he's cute, doesn't mean we're going to start dating or something. I always hated debates. Especially against myself.

"Something bothering you?" Zack asked. I must have sighed out loud for him to ask me that. Nice job me.

"Nope. Just can't decide what to have," I said quickly, looking at the menu. He nodded.

"Whenever my mother couldn't decide what to eat, she had my father pick for her. She always said he could pick better them she ever could," he said. A lightbulb went over my head.

"Here, you pick for me, let's see if you got your dad's Gene's in in the food picking department." I handed him my menu, leaning my head against hand as he skimmed over the menu. I smirked a bit as he kept glancing up at me. When the waitress came back, he looked ready. He also looked like he was presenting plans for a war criminal. Gosh, people take some things so seriously.

"We would like to order two BLTs," he said to the waitress, who had a mischievous gleam in her eye. You can't go wrong with bacon. Although, I

"Would you like the Dater's Deal?" She asked with a smile.

"The what?" I asked with shock. The waitress smirked.

"The Dater's Deal is when a couple gets fifty percent off a meal when they order the same thing," she explained.

"We're not-" I cut Zack off.

"Sure, we'll take it," I said quickly, knowing I probably had to pay. The waitress smiled and told us the food would be out soon. The name of that discount is very stupid. First of all, alliteration isn't always the way to go. It's sounds stupid if you don't use the right words.

"Have you been here before?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. Hodgins recommended it. He said it has nice atmosphere." He took a sip. I remember Sarah said the exact same thing. Jack and Sarah conspired to get Zack and me in the the same area. Really? People these days.

I hope you guys enjoyed it! Happy Halloween and thanks for reading! Love, EmilyHarmony.


	15. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake and Bosses

I would like to take a moment to thank all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. It really means alot to me. Enjoy this chapter!

The lunch with Zack brightened my mood. Or it could have been because the lunch was half the price. Not that it was expensive in the first place, but you can't go wrong with that. My mood made the work go fast, not that there was much to do. Just as I was getting ready to leave, Zack and Jack came in the autopsy lab, with Jack holding knife. Ugh. That's a scary image.

"I found the murder weapon!" Jack said gleefully. He showed the knife to Cam, like a little boy showing his mother a slimy worm. I rolled my eyes at his glee.

"Hodgins, I believe the terms is we found the murder weapon," Zack corrected. I chuckled softly at Jack's look of disbelief as he turned slowly toward Zack.

"Zack, all of the times you took the credit for something that we did, I never said anything! Not fair!" Jack crossed his arms, knife still in hand. You could tell he kind of joking.

"Life is not fair, Hodgins." Zack sounded so serious that I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Cam was smiling too.

"You both have done a wonderful job. But did either of you tell Dr. Brennan or Angela about this?" She asked.

"Angela confirmed the murder weapon, but Dr. B is still in the dark," Jack said.

"What kind of knife is that?" I asked, realizing I didn't know.

"It's an Outback knife." Jack held it up for me to see as if I needed to see it more. It had been plain as day when he and Zack came in. He gave the knife to Cam, who placed it on her desk.

"Need anything before I leave?" I asked.

"Nope. The only thing I need is to call Booth to tell him about the murder weapon." I nodded, before saying goodbye and heading out for the night. As soon as I got to my car, my phone rang. I glanced at it before rolling my eyes. Eric was calling me again. I answered it just before he hang up, almost wishing I hadn't at all.

"What do you want?" I asked him. He sounded nervous.

"Are you alone?" He asked, talking to mem as if he was going to tell me a juicy secret.

"Yeah, why?" I opened my car door as I waited for him to respond.

"I know who killed April." He paused.

"But?" There was always something more to it if it's Eric.

"But I can't tell you," he said. I rolled my eyes again.

"Of course you can't," I muttered.

"If I tell you, then I'll lose my job and you know how hard it is for me to find a job," he said.

"Eric, I thought you loved April! Not everything is about you!" I told him, feeling irritated.

"Ashley, you're being unfair! I gave you a big hint! I'll lose my job! Think about it! Who has the power to make me lose my job! I loved April and you can't say otherwise!" He hung up. Well, I guess I was a bit unfair. Frustrated, I thought about what Eric said about him giving me a big hint. Think, you big dummy! Who can make Eric lose his job? His boss! Of course. I texted Cam to tell Booth this new information. She jokingly said she would tell Booth _we_ found it. I smiled before finally going home.

When I got there, Sarah had let herself in and had helped herself to my coffee ice cream and was watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory.

"Hi, Sarah! Make yourself at home!" I said sarcastically. She smiled sweetly at me.

" I brought homemade Pineapple Upside-Down Cake," she said with her mouth full. I brightened and helped myself to a generous piece before sitting down next to her.

"My apartment has issues with plumbing, mold and paint. I was wondering if I could stay here for the night," she asked hopefully. I nodded.

"You can stay here as long as you want if you make this everyday," I said, just as I swallowed a bite of the heavenly desert. She laughed and I joined in.

"Remember the time we stayed at my house for a sleepover and that creepy guy kept looking through the window until we through laundry detergent in his face?" She asked with a grin.

"Brice? I do remember that. Your mom still hasn't fixed those curtains," I said, amused. We talked for a while and Sarah bought a ton of deserts, causing us to eat alot.

"I had lunch with Zack today," I said. She squealed.

"Really?! How did it go?! I want the details, girl!" She demanded. I laughed and proceeded to tell her about the Dater's Deal and the BLTs. After a while, Sarah dragged herself to the guest room and I went to my room, feeling as happy as I did when I had lunch with Zack. Or maybe I was happier? Feeling a little confused, I fell asleep quickly despite that.

I hope that you enjoyed this! Reviews are appreciated and thanks for reading! Love, EmilyHarmony.


	16. Matchmaker

Hello, fellow readers. Pleased to see you here and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Reviews are worth more then gold to me!

I woke up with a blocked nasal passage and a sore throat. I groaned as I went to the bathroom to take my temperature.  
101 degrees. Yeah. Well, at least today was a Saturday. I practically crawled back to bed. Sarah came in as soon as I heaved myself back in the bed.

"You feel okay, Ashley?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Do I look like I feel okay?" I asked. She smiled.

"I'll call your brother!" She said in a singsong tone. I began to protest but she ignored me. She practically span out of the room with giggle. Someone slept well, I guess. I heard Sarah dial Jack's number.

"Hello?" He said with his mouth full. Sarah walked out my hearing range.

"Hello, Jackie," she said.

"Who's that?" Sarah heard someone else say. A woman.

"Um, just a friend of Ashley's, Ange," he said absentmindedly. Sarah glared at the refrigerator that happened to be in front of her.

"I'm Ashley's bestie! Not just a friend," she said indignantly. Hodgins looked a bit intimidated.

"Okay, my bad!" If he had been talking to her face-to-face, he would've been brought his hands up in surrender.

"Ashley has a cold, I have to work, and it sounds like you're busy," she stated, an idea starting to form.

"Not really, just-" Sarah cut him off.

"You're busy." She accented the word busy. He suddenly knew what she meant.

"Oh, you're right, but Zack's not!" Hodgins smirked. He and Sarah both then giggled and hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Asked Angela, as she took another sip of coffee.

"Oh, nothing," he said, grinning. She raised her eyebrows.

"Honey, you don't giggle over nothing," she said.

"I'll tell you in a minute, I just have to call Zack." Hodgins dialed his number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello," Zack answered. Despite the early time, he sounded alert and serious as usual.

"Hey, Zack, I need you to do a favor," Hodgins had to stop himself from laughing.

"And what would that be?" He asked.

"Ashley has a cold and she needs someone to take care of her," Hodgins explained, grinning the entire time. Angela raised her eyebrows.

"I don't consider myself adept at caring for a sick person," Zack responded.

"Ashley went to medical school. All you need to give her stuff."

"I find that I'm slightly hesitant at this arrangement, but I suppose it's feasible."

"Great! I'll pick you up in a couple minutes." He hung up. Zack sighed.

"This will be interesting," he said to himself. He texted Sarah the wonderful news.

"Well, I'm going to be late if I don't leave," Sarah told me, helping herself to the last croissant. I rolled my eyes as she left, humming.

I had just settled down on the couch when the door bell rang.

"Who is it?" I attempted to yell.

"It's Zack," he answered back.

"Hold on, I'll peel myself off the couch and get-" I stopped talking as Zack entered.

"Did Sarah forget to lock the door again?" I asked, sitting up.

"Hodgins gave me a key," he explained, holding up the object.

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes at his forwardness.

"I'm under the impression that you are ill and I'm supposed support your recovery." He told me.

"Um, so Jack brought you?" I asked, hugging a pillow to my chest. He nodded. I rolled my eyes.

"He's such a brother," I muttered. Zack smiled.

"I hope you like macaroni."

Sorry if this was short and sorry for waiting so long to update... Thanks for reading! Love, EmilyHarmony.


	17. The Resuscitation of a Pillow

Hi. Enjoy this next chapter.

Jack called me to tell me that case was closed and to have fun with Zack. He sounded like our mother. Feeling a sneeze starting to form, I sighed and from the distance, looked at the tissue box. It seemed so far away. Gathering my strength, I stretched as far as my sick body would let me. My fingers hit the box, knocking it off the coffee table. No! I tried to reach it but with ¾ of my body off the couch, I slid off.

"The struggle is real." I attempted to pick myself off the ground but it was no use. I needed a big, strong man to take in his muscalar arms and place back on the couch. I don't how I would live without sarcasm. The thought of a man actually doing that was a great motivation to get myself back to the couch with a tissue box in hand. I sneezed just as I grabbed a tissue. Go me! I heard Zack singing from the kitchen like I wasn't there. He seems like the kinda guy who would only sing on the privacy in his own home. Well, since he's occupied, my bother and I are going to have a little talk. It rang for a while but he eventually picked up.

"Hello." He sounded quite pleased with himself.

"You're kidding. Inviting someone to take care of me when I was sick without telling me? Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that you're trying to play matchmaker again. Need I remind what happened to Jenny and Paul? How low can you go?" I was slightly out of breath after saying that.

"Who said anything about playing matchmaker? As cute as you guys would be, it'd take years for Zack to realize he loved someone. Besides, I thought Sarah was going to tell you." So he denies my accusations.

"Please, she doesn't even remember to lock the door. It's a miracle she got into medical school. She kept forgetting to study for the tests. As for Zack, he seems pretty sharp, I'm sure he could figure out he was in love," I said. Zack came out with two bowls.

"Gotta go. We're not done talking." I hung up and accepted my lunch from Zack.

"Thanks!" I beamed at him.

"You're welcome," he responded in his usual tone. I turned on the TV and left on whatever stupid show was on. Daytime TV really bores me.

"Were you talking to Hodgins on the phone?" He asked curiously. I nodded since my mouth was full of the delicious macaroni.

"Were you mad at him?"

"Not now. I can't stay mad at people. I was just annoyed because neither he nor Sarah told me you were coming as much as I liked to be pleasantly surprised, I prefer to where minimum layers when I'm sick and they both know that." I almost cringed at how embarrassing that could have been. Though Zack isn't the type to barge into people's homes. Though Sarah or Jack could have just told him he could just go on in without knocking. I'm going to kill them.

"The macaroni is really good," I stated, trying to change the conversation.

"Good." I was already done with mine but he was eating like my mother. Slow and stately. I smiled at how I stopped eating like that after I moved away from home. I never had time to eat that way in medical school. Study, study, study. That's all I got to do. Well, that's not true.

Zack was leaving after staying for practically the whole day.

"Thanks for coming. You were so helpful. I could just kiss you." I smiled at him.

"Why don't you? We have nothing to lose." He grabbed my face and kissed me. It felt really strange. Like his lips were made of fabric.

I woke up. That was the shortest dream I've ever had. The pillow that was under my head had a spot where I rescuscitated it. Zack was also asleep. He looks kinda cute. He looks peaceful and content. He's the only guy I've seen sleep that doesn't snore. I wonder what it felt to kiss him. I've only ever kissed one guy in my entire life and his lips were always so chapped. I hope he'll wake up soon. As if he read my mind, he woke up. Working on my Jedi mind powers must have paid off. I felt like a teenager when I kept looking over at him as he read one of my books on brain conditions. That was a dull book. He caught me looking at him a couple of times. I went up next to him and read over his shoulder.

"Zack?" I turned my head at the same time he did and our lips met. Neither one of us pulled away. Though I'm surprised he didn't since I wasn't my healthiest. Hodgins honked his horn. Hold me back or I'm going to kill him. Zack pulled away.

"I shouldn't keep Hodgins waiting," he said quietly.

"Make him wait." He certainly deserved it. Zack shrugged and kissed me again. His lips were so soft. We were cut by a girly shriek. I expected to see Sarah but I saw Hodgins with his jaw on the floor. Darn.


End file.
